Mayor John Cranley and his opponent Councilwoman Yvette Simpson are duking it out over who cares more about the environment.

In a press conference Wednesday Cranley, surrounded by various environmental groups, announced a plan to use solar energy instead of coal to power Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW), and signed the Sierra Club's 'Mayors for 100 percent Clean Energy' initiative that commits Cincinnati to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035.

Just mere hours later, Simpson lashed out at Cranley, calling him somewhere between "ambivalent" and "destructive" on the environment.

The next morning, Cranley pumped out his own counter-statement.

Simpson, in her statement, said she was glad to hear the mayor was finally focusing on the environment, "six months months before the end of his term."

"It’s not enough to sign on to an initiative; this commitment to 100% renewable energy requires more than words on a piece of paper. The Mayor’s track record clearly shows that he has not made those tough choices. He has been at the very least ambivalent, and at the worst destructive, on issues affecting the environment."

Simpson went on to claim Cranley, before coming into office, moved to eliminate the city's main environmental office, which is now the Office of Environment and Sustainability (OES).

In 2013's mayoral race against former Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, Cranley didn't actually propose eliminating the office - but he did suggest an 8 percent cut to the Office of Environmental Quality. He wanted to use the money for three job creation programs – Cincinnati Cooks, Cincinnati Works and Solid Opportunities of Advancement and Retention (SOAR) – infusing them with $2.3 million to expand.

The office of Environmental Quality faced the possibility of being totally eliminated in 2015 in a budget proposed by Charlie Winburn, appointed budget committe chair by Cranley. It survived.

Both Simpson and Cranley are Democrats.

Cranley swiftly released a counter-statement the very next morning: "Council Member Yvette Simpson chose to launch personal attacks and distort Mayor Cranley’s record in an attempt to score cheap political points. Council Member Simpson is entitled to her own opinion but not her own facts, and the fact is that this type of forward looking environmental leadership is nothing new for Mayor Cranley, who has a lifetime record of advancing the cause of environmental justice."

The counter-statement goes on to list Cranley's environmentally-related accomplishments, including writingthe city's clean air law when still in Council, efforts to launch Red Bike, joining the Compact of Mayors after President Trump backed out of the Paris Climate Accord, and appointing the majority of SORTAs board.

Cranley's plan to transition Greater Cincinnati Water Works from coal-powered energy to solar drew praise from local Sierra Club chapter chair Marilyn Wall.

Asked about Cranley's track record when it comes to environmental issues more broadly, Wall said the Miami Group Sierra Club was in the middle of their endorsement process, and not ready to comment on either mayoral candidate.

The Sierra Club and another environmental group, the Audubon Society, were opposed to Cranley's park levy in 2015, worrying that projects paid for with levy funds might lead to the over-development of Cincinnati's parks. The permanent property tax proposed would have meant an increased $35 per $100,000 home value.

At the press conference, Cranley also joined a cohort of Mayors from more than 130 cities that have signed the 'Mayors for 100 percent Clean Energy,' an initiative of Sierra Club's Ready for 100 Campaign.

Cranley also plans to update the Green Cincinnati Plan, first drafted in 2013. The plan outlines 80 specific recommendations on how to reduce contributions to global climate change, with Cranley saying most of these goals have been met or exceeded.

The Plan established greenhouse gas emission reduction goals of 8% within four years, 40% within 20 years, and 84% by 2050 (42 years), according to the City of Cincinnati's website.

Cranley and Simpson face off in Cincinnati's general mayoral election on November 7th. Simpson bested Cranley in May's primary, garnering 45 percent of the vote against Cranley's 34 percent. Newcomer Rob Richardson Jr. took just 20 percent.